Tales of the First File
by Darktreader98
Summary: First story in the What Might Have Been Series. WMHB is set in the Pokemon universe when the criminals took over the regions. Tales of the First File set in Unova. Full Details in Intro. Rated T for violence and language.
1. Introduction

Tales of the First File

By Darktreader98

I can't be the only one to ask this question. In the Pokémon world (mainly the games), there has always been a hero to combat the criminal organization. For this to happen over the course of every game is not only coincidental, it's annoying. In Unova, for example, what are the odds that two people would appear at the same time, BOTH being able to summon a legendary Pokémon? It's irrational and highly unlikely. I'm not trying to butcher the games, but it bugs me. Anyway, this story is centred around Unova to begin with. I might make more. But the main point is what Unova would be like if the hero never raised up to summon Zekrom (I started with White so the hero's Pokémon is Zekrom). What would it be like if Team Plasma took over? This story is too messed up to be a game, but it is an idea. Odds are there will be swearing, most definitely violence, and no lemons. The world is set in the Pokémon universe, but has some names and ideas that I took from other games, shows, and movies. And as a final disclaimer, I own none of the games, shows, or movies I use in this story. I think I've covered everything. Let's get this show on the road…


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

"Magmortar, use Fire Blast!"

As I shouted the command to the large Fire-type, a hail of arrows flew towards me. My body immediately turned into a metallic alloy. As they struck, the arrows shattered on impact. Magmortar fired his Fire Blast attack right into a large group of Plasma Elites. Their screams echoed through the battleground. As the battle raged around me, I barked commands to both my soldiers and my Pokémon.

My second-in-command was locked in a vicious battle with a Plasma Elite. As he dodged and parried the Elite's blade, the Elite was relentless in his attack. As I ran by, I fired a bolt of lightning at the Elite. He fell to the ground, his armour scorched and steaming.

"Thanks!" he shouted, but by then I was too far to hear him.

I guess I should explain. My name is Victor Slade. I am the head of an underground team of highly trained Warrior-Trainers. This battle you just read is an excerpt from the Battle of the Plasma Frigate. See, our purpose is to eradicate the criminal organizations that have taken control of the various regions. It is not an easy task. There are lives that are lost. Lots of lives are lost. But someone needs to do this job.

I should start from the beginning. Team Plasma took over Unova. It's a simple fact. When the "Lord N" befriended Reshiram, it became inevitable. But they have gone out of control. N sits on the throne with Ghetsis at his side. And the world has gone to hell. This is not just my story, but the story of how most people survive in Unova. This is how I tried to fix a broken world.

Hercules swung his war hammer. I easily sidestepped. That's the problem with the heavy weapons. They hit hard but swing slow. I could have killed him then and there but the crowd hates it when the fights aren't long enough.

"Deino, Dragon Pulse!" I shout to my trusted partner. My small Dragon-Type was locked in a battle with Hercules' Heracross. The fairly large Bug-Fighting cross took the attack full force. Deino was small but powerful. Heracross took serious damage on that attack.

With a loud grunt, Hercules raised his war hammer with unusual speed. I blocked it with the only thing I could think of: my spear. As the hammer connected, my weapon smashed in half.

"That was my best spear!" I yell to him. He just grins in response. The fear I have seen from him the entire fight was suddenly replaced with confidence as he saw me without a useful weapon.

I look over and see that Deino is already finished his fight. Heracross lies on the ground knocked out. I know I'm going to have to wrap this up.

Hercules comes back for another swing of the same speed, but this time I'm ready for it. As he brings his hammer down, I dodge around him and stab the back of his knee with the remnants of my spear.

With a loud cry of pain, he falls. As he hits the ground, his massive war hammer lands on his other leg. The weight of it alone would immobilize him, but the speed of its falling shattered his leg, leaving him completely unable to move.

I move towards him while looking at the Crucible Master. He gives me the thumbs down sign. I grab Hercules by the shoulder and tell him "I'm sorry," as I drive my shattered spear into his heart.

The crowd roars with cheer. They scream and chant, "Crimson! Crimson!" And what do I do about this? The only thing I can; I raise my bloodied spear to the crowd and cheer.

This is what the world has been reduced to. I am 16 years old, as was Hercules, and the crowd cheers at seeing one of us dead. The Crucible was designed to find recruits for Team Plasma, but it has become a show for the townspeople.

There is a coliseum in every town in Unova, but only seven Crucibles. That is where the recruits come from. The Crucible Masters are the Seven Sages that follow Ghetsis. Once a group of warriors reach recruitment age, they are to be set against each other. Three rounds and only one survive. Not many recruits at once, but the ones that win are the most bloodthirsty, hardy warriors in Unova. The most famous warriors draw crowds from all over Unova.

Every Crucible warrior has a special name to which they are known by. While Victor Slade is my name, to the crowds of the Crucible, I am known as Crimson. Whether for the blood red armour I wear or my ability to kill, that was the name the Crucible Master decided for me.

Choices are not something easily come by these days. I don't know if it's different in the other towns, but in Aspertia City, you have to become a Crucible fighter at the same age you can receive a Pokémon: ten years old.

Almost ironically, the few choices you can make are tied in with the age starting limit. The Crucible is made up with human fighters trying to kill each other, but while directing their Pokémon in battle as well. At ten years old, a starting Crucible fighter is allowed to choose their main and secondary weapons, as well as a Pokémon. Not like how it used to be, when you could only pick a Fire, Water, or Grass-Type. In a way, it's almost better. They show you a line of Pokéballs with a symbol indicating its type. They give you all seventeen types to choose from.

I chose the highly overlooked Dragon-Type and some would say I got unlucky. While the Dragon-Types are very powerful I got Deino, a Dragon-Dark cross. Because of that extra type, Deino's weaknesses are doubled. Instead of being weak to just Ice and Dragon, he is also weak to Fighting and Bug. But because of the Dark-Type, Deino has two other resistances added onto the original four of a Dragon-Type, and Psychic-Types do no damage. It also tripled the types he does extra damage to. Taking into consideration that Deino is weak to Bug and Fighting-Types, the fact he took down Heracross proves how powerful he is.

The weapons you are allowed to carry into a fight are not unlimited. You can't just walk into the arena with an entire arsenal strapped to your back and sides. You have to choose main and secondary weapons. And there is a varied choice. My choice of battle implements was the spear and shield combo, and a short sword as my secondary. An even mixture of mid-range, defense, and close quarters combat. With the added bonus that the spear can also be used as a throwing weapon. The only restriction of choosing weapons is that you can't use a weapon that's original purpose is range. For instance, a bow and arrow. Long range weapons are not permitted, but anything that can be used as a throwing weapon is. A spear, for example, or a hand axe or throwing knives.

As I walked back to the competitor's quarters, I could still hear the crowd chanting my Crucible title. Not for the first time, I found myself thinking, "Really people? Get a life. You think this is great fun? Let's see you compete in this tournament. We'll see then how much fun you're having."

In the slight bright side, the Crucible competitions do not happen often. Once a month, a tournament is put together. The time in between is used for training. To train is optional, but in a place like this, it's train or die.

There are some fighters who take enjoyment in the battles. There are some that enjoy killing. They treat it like a sport. I do not. To take enjoyment in the killing of another, that is when we lose our humanity. Just because it is the role we have been cast, doesn't mean we have to act it.

But whatever the views of the fighters, we all fight to survive. From the age of ten, we are taught to kill. They teach for one year. Then it is your first Crucible battle. I remember my first kill. A boy named Jack Fletcher. He came at me with a Morningstar. He swung and it wrapped around my spear. I tried to shake it off, and in the process knocked him to the ground. The kill itself was an accident. He tried throwing his hand axe at me. It deflected off my shield and landed blade first into his forehead. Every month for five years was like that.

I am sad to say I did get quite good at killing. I eventually became the best fighter in Aspertia, some say in all of Unova. But I have reached recruitment age. This is my final Crucible tournament. There were eight of us to begin with. Now there are four. I have two battles left. If I survive, I will get recruited into Team Plasma. If I fail, I die. It is as simple as that.

Back in the competitor's quarters, I grabbed my backup weapons. I needed a new spear, definitely. And my shield was destroyed blocking blows from that war hammer of his.

"Hercules didn't make it, I see."

I turn to see my good friend, Logan Rhys, picking up new pieces of armour. His Pokémon, Rufflett, was in his Pokéball. Logan has been my friend long before the world went to hell. He has been like my brother for as long as I can remember.

"Neither did Scarlet, it appears." I replied.

"Unfortunately not. I wish I didn't have to, but you know what happens if we don't comply."

I nodded. "Obedience lessons."

He grimaced. "I was talking to Harley last week. He was taken to obedience after he refused to kill his twin sister. Hardly anyone comes back alive. The things he told me… the things they did… let's just say he will never fail to comply again."

I decided to change the subject. "So who do you have next?" Not much of a change, but it's all I've got.

"Harley." He replied.

Frank 'The Tank' Harley. 6'5, 220Lbs. Armed with a battle-axe and short sword. Heavy armour. Partner Pokémon: Machoke. Against the 5'10, 160Lbs. Logan 'Minos' Rhys, the odds were not looking good for my friend.

"Tough draw." I said. "Who was he just up against?"

He looked at me and replied, "Valkyrie."

Victoria 'Valkyrie' Harley. Franks twin sister.

"They did that as a test." I thought out loud. "They did that to see if he really was obedient."

Logan just grunted in response.

"So who do you have next?" he asked me.

I checked the note left to my spare armour. "Katana." I replied.

"Read her stats." He said.

"Katy 'Katana' Sanders. 5'5, 120Lbs. Armed with a katana and set of throwing knives. Light armour Partner Pokémon: Gallade. Strongest ability: speed."

Logan snorted with sad laughter. "You and Deino will make short work of her. They aren't even challenging you with that one. They know you will make it to the finals."

"I think she got this far on her own," I replied. "She was just up against Xeno. He was a powerful fighter. It didn't look like she had any outside help. But she beat him. Maybe it's not me Zinzolin is challenging. Maybe it's her." Zinzolin of the Seven Sages is the Crucible Master for Aspertia.

"No way," he retorts. "You have been Zinzolins favourite for two years now. And you think he's just going to start picking new favourites, just as you're at recruitment age? No. Katana got lucky is all."

"Maybe." Is all I can think to say.

The warning canon goes off and Zinzolins voice rings out over the loudspeaker.

"Competitors to starting gates!"

Logan and I clasped hands. "Good luck, brother." He says to me.

"Same to you." I reply.

He starts off in the other direction as I pick up my new spear.

"Well, here we go." I say to myself.

The starting gate rises. I see Katy walking out from her end of the arena.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Round Two!" the crowd cheers as Zinzolins voice blares over the speakers. "In the left arena we have Minos versus The Tank! And in the right arena, we have Katana facing off against the crowds favourite, Crimson!" the crowd cheers even louder when they hear my name.

"Let the battles begin!"

Katana lets out her Gallade while I summon Deino.

"Deino, get right in there with Crunch!" I shout at him.

As she is busy giving orders to Gallade I waste no time starting the real fight. I stab my spear into the ground and draw my sword. I rush in and swing for her sword arm, but she parries just in time. In the entire sword-on-sword combat, she still manages to get several knives thrown. Her stats did not lie. This chick is quick! Even without a shield Katana put up a hell of a defense. Her parries are as quick as her slashes. Obviously my swordsmanship needs some work, because if it weren't for my shield I would have been cut to pieces.

I hooked the hilt of my sword onto the blade of hers and pulled a difficult disarming manoeuvre. Within seconds, her blade was ten feet away. She drew her last two knives, one in each hand, and threw them with great speed. One stuck point first into the face of my shield, but the other swiped my arm, leaving a good-sized gash.

Now weaponless, Katana started running for her sword. I sheathed my sword and grabbed my spear out of the ground. Taking careful aim, I threw my spear. It sailed through the air, hitting Katana square in the shoulder of her sword arm. If it weren't for her armour, it would have gone straight through. But it left a large gash in her armour and an even bigger wound in her shoulder.

I took this opportunity to take a look at Gallade and… well what I thought was Deino. It was still a black-and-blue Dragon-Type with no eyes. But… it had two heads. I heard a voice come over the loudspeaker.

"This is a momentous and incredible occasion! Crimson's Deino has evolved! The Pokémon battle now takes place between Katana's Gallade and Crimson's Zweilous!"

"Zweilous, huh?" I murmured to myself. "Cool."

I was considering giving a command, but Zweilous seemed to have things under command with those two heads of his. And in my focus on the Pokémon battle, Katana had recovered her sword.

While the spear wound is affecting her sword arm, she seemed to be used to fighting with her other hand. In the moment it took me to get re-focused, she had gotten in two quick slashes to my chest, slicing up my armour pretty badly. When she tried to get in her third slash, I had gotten my shield up and sword drawn. Slash and parry, slash and parry no room for other thought. In one quick, lucky slash, I got a close slash to her throat. But when I looked at my blade, it had blood covering it. Katana dropped to her knees and as she knelt there, her head slowly rolled off her shoulders.

The crowd roared with cheer like never before. The added gore of a decapitation seemed to excite them. I couldn't take it. I immediately started walking back to the competitor's quarters when I remembered Zweilous. I recalled him back to his Pokéball and continued walking back to the competitor's quarters. When I reached the quarters, I saw Logan sitting in one of the chairs with his head in his hands.

"You seem to have made quite a commotion." He says to me without looking up.

"I cut off her head." I replied.

He looks up at me. "Unnaturally vicious for you."

"It wasn't intentional."

"Never the less. The crowd went nuts for it though, I can tell that."

"That they did," I reply quietly. "Bloodthirsty people."

I hear a voice come over the loudspeaker. "Round Three starts in five minutes!"

And then it hits me. The last round of the tournament. There are only two fighters left. Myself and Logan. One of us would not make it out of there alive.

**Gets pretty intense at the end, don't it? Review and comment. I want to know if people like this story.**


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"I won't do it."

Logan looked up at me as I paced back and forth the competitor's quarters. "What?" he asked.

I stopped and looked at him. "I won't do it. I won't fight you. I don't care what they do. I'll take obedience if I have to. But I won't fight you."

"Are you crazy?" he asked me as he stood up. "Nobody has ever failed to kill in a recruitment tournament before! They wouldn't even allow it! Odds are they would just kill me anyway and recruit you!"

"Why would they just kill you?" I asked him.

"You're the crowd's favourite." he replied, becoming more sullen looking than he did before. "If they are going to recruit anyone, it should be you. You have a chance to live your life. You can be someone and-"

"And what?" I asked him. "And become a better killer? And end more lives? And fight under their banner? And be the cause of even more hurt and suffering? And become an obedient killing machine? Because that is all we have to look forward to! No matter who survives, that is all the life we have to look forward to!" I found myself shouting, getting angrier by the second.

"We have to agree on something right now." I said, taking a deep breath and calming down.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"We have to swear that neither of us will rig this fight."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean," I replied slowly so he understood completely. "Neither of us will hand victory to the other. You have as much of a chance to survive as I do. I want you to fight as hard as you can. Do not hold back." This was becoming less about me and trying to make him live.

"Fight me like you fought Scarlet. Fight me like you fought Harley. Fight me like you fought any of the others. This is a fight for your survival. Fight for your life. I will be as well. Do not hold back."

There were tears in his eyes as he finally understood what I was asking of him. I wanted him to try and kill me.

"`Do you understand, brother?" I asked him. He nodded slightly but it wasn't good enough.

"Do you understand?!" I shouted. This was not the time to be weak.

"I understand!" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly.

"Good." I whispered.

"Competitors to the starting gates!"

We clasped arms and hugged like brothers.

"Good luck brother." I whispered to him.

"Same to you." he whispered back.

And then he went off to his starting gate.

I grabbed my gear and headed for mine.

When I reached them, they started to rise and I heard Zinzolin's voice blare out over the loudspeaker.

"What a day this has been ladies and gentlemen! An evolution in the Crucible, and for the final match, two of the greatest fighters this Crucible has ever seen! Please give a great welcome to Crimson and Minos with their partners Zweilous and Rufflet!"

I took a deep breath, and walked out into the arena. Logan was at the other end, looking more depressed than I've ever seen him. Not that I can blame the guy. I wasn't looking forward to this either.

"Let the battle begin!"

I released Zweilous and Logan let out Rufflet. "Zweilous use Dragon Pulse," I whispered down to him.

My Pokémon sprang into action, letting a blast of blue energy from each head. The battle then was drowned out by thoughts that I had to start fighting.

I raised my spear into a fighting stance and Logan drew his axe. Thinking he was preparing for close combat, I started charging at him. Instead, he threw the axe at me with deadly accuracy. I raised my shield just in time, and the axe stuck dead centre into the face of my shield. Brushing off the attack, I kept charging. Logan drew his sword. I stopped, raised my spear, and threw. It had fair aim, but not the never-miss accuracy I was known for. Logan simply moved, turned, and slashed it out of the air. The crowd started booing and Zinzolin was saying something over the loudspeaker, but I was too focused to care.

I drew my sword and went in close. We were locked in a battle of blades, slashing and parrying, his blows bouncing off my shield as he blocked mine with masterful skill. The battle went on for about 10 minutes as our Pokémon were fighting viciously. And the entire time, the crowd was screaming and cheering.

The fight started to take a turn for the finish when Logan jammed his sword in between his axe and my shield. With a strong jerk, the axe came flying out. He reached up and caught it in between dodging and blocking blows. He now had both his weapons against me with a sword and shield.

I swung my blade downwards in an attempt to throw him off balance. He countered perfectly by crossing his weapons into an "X" shape and hooking his axe onto my sword. I took that as my sole opportunity.

In one swift movement, I slammed my shield into him, used my sword to disarm him of his axe, and stabbed him through the chest. The crowd went wild, and I hooked my shield around his back and gently lowered him to the ground. I slowly pulled my bloodied sword out of him as tears fell onto his dying body.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered.

I wanted nothing more than for silence in that moment. A moment of peace to mourn my fallen friend, my brother in arms. But it would seem that even that I would be denied.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Zinzolin cried out over the loudspeaker as the crowd was roaring with cheer. "It appears we have our winner! Give a big round of applause for CRIMSON!"

And they did. The crowd went nuts, screaming, cheering, whistling. All because of death. They revelled in the fact that I had killed a person. It was nothing more than a game to them. I figured it was about time someone showed them just how much of a 'game' it was.

I grabbed the remnants of my spear from the ground near me, stood up, and threw it with all my might at the commentator's booth. I missed Zinzolin, but hit the assistant commentator square in the head with enough force to throw him back and impale him to the wall. There were screams from the crowd, but this time not screams of cheer. The gates to the Crucible opened and dozens of Plasma soldiers came flooding in.

I picked up my bloody sword and shield and got into a fighting stance. Logan's Rufflet was perched on its former trainer's corpse and Zweilous looked prepared to fight. As the Plasma soldiers got in close enough, I let Zweilous run free and I charged the ranks of soldiers. They had taught me to kill. They made it a necessity. Now it was time to show them just what they'd created…

When the first soldier came into range I slashed at his throat, getting a quick kill. I parried a blade to my left and slammed a soldier to my right with my shield. All the while, Zweilous was biting and slashing with one head while the other was letting out beams of energy. A few more slashes and soldiers dropped. Every strike was a killing blow, either to the head or the throat or through the chest. My shield kept a lot back, while my sword dealt with all that were in range. But there were simply too many.

The fight didn't last long but I had lost count of how many soldiers I dropped. I could tell I was fighting a losing battle, though, when the first stun rod came out. I took a direct hit to my back, but I had the will to keep fighting even though I couldn't keep up my shield arm. A half dozen more soldiers went down when I felt myself getting hit with more stun rods. Soon, my vision went blurry. My legs felt weak. I hit the ground as I was bludgeoned with stun rods, every hit like a crack of thunder against my body.

And then I blacked out…

**Hello, to whoever may read this. I am truly sorry it took so goddamn long to update, but I've had writers block for the longest time with this story. Please review and enjoy this dark rendition of my favourite game. **


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I came to in a small cell bound to a chair. It matched the description of an Obedience cell perfectly. Not a good sign for me…

In the two minutes it took for me to register my surroundings, a man walked in carrying another chair. He set it down right in front of me and sat.

"Victor 'Crimson' Slade," he said, staring right at me. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

I thought for a moment before speaking. "Well," I replied. "I'm guessing you're referring to the brigade of Plasma soldiers I killed. If that's what you're referring to, then yes, I have a fair inkling what I've done."

"It's not just about that Victor!" he shouted, getting up from his seat. "People are panicking! You're little outburst caused riots! They are starting to rebel!" He stopped for a moment.

And then he smiled.

"Haha! I'm proud of you boy!" he laughed.

Now I was completely confused. "I'm sorry, but who the hell are you exactly?" I asked.

He stopped laughing but kept the grin on his face. "My apologies. My name is General Richard Gray."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain WHO you are, or why you aren't escorting me to a torture chamber and or killing me."

"The killing you bit is true actually. Team Plasma WILL kill you for your crimes, no matter how good a fighter you are. But then, I'm not Team Plasma. I lead an underground army of Warrior-Trainers called the First File. We were formed to combat Team Plasma and take back Unova."

I sat there staring at him in disbelief. "That's not possible," I said. "Team Plasma has too tight a grip on this region for there to be any underground activities. And where do you get your warriors? The Plasma's are the only ones that allow training of any kind in Unova."

"Team Plasma isn't as smart as you think Victor," he replied chuckling. "And as for the warriors, what do you think happens to most of the tournament winners? I get here before a Plasma operative and I recruit them first."

"And the Plasmas don't notice their recruits missing?" I asked.

"I simply have to say that they tried to escape so they had to die." he replied. "Problem solved."

"Okay, makes sense," I said. "But what exactly do you plan to do with me?"

"Well, we have two options," he replied. "Option one, you come with me and you'll become a soldier of the First File. Option two; I kill you on the spot. The Plasmas would do it anyway, and you are too dangerous for you to be a Plasma soldier. You choose."

"Not much of a choice is it?"

"Not really, no."

"Can you get me Zweilous back?"

"Already done."

"What about Rufflet?" I asked. "Can you get me Logan's Rufflet?"

He smiled again. "I can get you something much better than that."

"And what would that be?"

He held his watch up to his mouth and pressed a button. "Bring him in."

The door to the cell opened and in walked a boy. He looked about sixteen and had blonde hair and blue eyes that shone with mischief.

In walked Logan Rhys.

**Haha! Sorry bout the cliff hanger. I wanted to leave a spot of suspense. I'm also sorry that this chapter is really short. And as the last bit of this Authors Note, I want to give a warm thank you to my good friend DorothySimms, who has supported me and encouraged me in my writing excursions! Thank you Dorothy, for making me feel like my work is enjoyed! Now, DT98 is out!**


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"L-Logan?" I asked, stumbling over the simple word.

He smiled. "Hello brother." he said.

"But how?" I asked, struggling against my bonds. "I killed you! I watched you die!"

"We can explain on our way out," General Gray said. "Right now we need to get out of here. Logan has your Pokémon –"

As soon as he had me free of my bonds, I took a hard swing at his jaw, knocking him to the ground. Then I turned and tackled Logan to the ground, pinning him while I had my fist ready to strike.

"Alright who are you!?" I asked, my anger taking over. "And don't say you are Logan, because I killed him! I had to run my best friend through with a sword, so if this is some kind of sick Team Plasma joke, I'd be happy to kill another 'Logan'!"

"Victor, just let us explain -" he started, cut off by a swift punch across his face.

"You'd better explain pretty damn quickly!" I shouted.

Just as the Logan look-alike was about to start talking again, Gray grabbed me from behind and pried me off. Soon I was back in the chair with the ropes tied roughly around my hands.

"Alright, Victor," Logan started saying again. "I am the real Logan Rhys. The one you killed was a clone –"

"A clone? What are you talking about?" I asked, anger still flowing through my voice.

"Just let him explain boy." Gray said, nursing his bruising jaw.

"Alright," Logan said, slight impatience edging in his voice. "About ten years ago, deep in the Kanto region, the criminal organization Team Rocket created a cloning process to clone the legendary Pokémon Mew. The project was successful in the form of Mewtwo, until the Pokémon went haywire… but that's not important. The point is, the process is possible. And while it was originally meant for Pokémon, it can be used on humans as well. And that's what the First File did to me. They cloned me, and then sent my clone out there to fight you. We both survived, and now we both have the chance to be recruited."

"How can I be certain it's you?" I asked.

He pulled out a Pokéball. "Would Zweilous let just anyone take him around wherever? He knows me, otherwise I would be dead." Then he held out the Pokéball to me.

I had long since slipped the roughly tied ropes, so I stood up and accepted the ball. Then I moved forward to embrace my friend, rare tears running down my face.

"I thought you I'd killed you…" I whispered.

"I know," he said. "But now I'm back, and we need to leave."

"Very good point," General Gray spoke up. "We've wasted enough time here as it is."

I separated from Logan and placed the Pokéball on my belt. "Lead the way." I said.

And with that, Gray and Logan walked out the cell door, with me close behind them.

Traversing through a Plasma HQ was no easy task, but somehow we managed to stay concealed. Within ten minutes, we were out the building walking through the streets of Aspertia.

"So," I asked, now free of the HQ. "Where are we going?"

"Patience boy," Gray ordered. "We'll get there – actually, we are here now."

I didn't say a word as I gazed at the Pokécentre, but we simply walked in. Logan and I stopped at a bench as Gray had a few words with Nurse Joy. He then gestured for us to follow him.

We followed him into a hidden door behind a bookcase. It slid aside to reveal a large metal door that, with a few pushes of buttons by Gray, opened. We walked in quickly and the door closed right behind us.

Inside was a huge, brightly lit room filled with computers and people. I noticed a few rooms that people, adults and teenagers alike, kept coming in and out of.

General Richard Gray turned around and spread his arms.

"Welcome boys, to the First File Headquarters."


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I was completely stunned by what I was seeing.

"This place," I stammered. "It's incredible!"

For the first time in a long time, I was actually smiling. I looked over and Logan was too.

"How does Team Plasma not know of this place?" I asked.

"They aren't nearly as smart as you believe they are." Gray replied. "But that doesn't matter now. There's someone I want you two to meet."

He led us down the stairs to where a woman was standing next to a metal table with all kinds of items on it. When she saw us coming, she immediately broke out in a wide smile.

"Richard!" she called. She met us half way and tackled the general in a hug.

"I'm so happy you made it out okay!" she said, her voice filled with cheer. "I take it the mission was a success?"

"It was indeed Aurea," he replied, giving the woman a quick kiss on the cheek before addressing us. "Boys, I'd like you to meet my wife and one of the most important members of the First File, Professor Aurea Juniper."

"Hi!" she said, shaking hands with each of us. "The newest recruits, huh? You must be excited!"

Logan and I looked at each other, then back to her. "'Excited' might not be the word I'd use," I replied. "Depending on what we are made to do, I suppose."

Now the professor looked confused. "What you are made do? What do you think this is some kind of assassination association?"

"Well," Logan replied. We _were _told we'd be soldiers. So you never really know what that will involve."

"What? No!" Juniper said laughing. "You will be soldiers, yes. But we are an _underground_ army! We don't wander the region waging war! You will be given the lives you could have had before all this happened, and only be called into battle when we are actually fighting an enemy unit."

Again, Logan and I looked at each other and back at her. "When you say the lives we could have had," I asked "What do you mean by that?"

"Let me show you." She replied. We walked back to the metal table and she gestured to the items. I recognised a few things. Potions, Pokéballs, and the watch-like things like the one General Gray had. The other items were relatively foreign.

"You will be allowed to journey the Unova region under the guise of travelling Crucible fighters. By 'the lives you could have had' I mean that you can be Pokémon Trainers, like you would have been able to if Team Plasma hadn't rose to power."

Once again, Logan and I broke out into smiles. I was happier to hear this than I'd ever been before.

"Before we proceed though," she said, voice becoming serious. "We need to know whether or not you are willing to become First File soldiers."

Logan and I both nodded. "We most certainly are willing." I said, eagerness evident even to me.

"Then we make it official," General Gray spoke up. "I hereby recruit Private Victor 'Crimson' Slade and Private Logan 'Minos' Rhys into the First File of Unova."

The pride that went through me as my title, meager as it might be, was said was unexplainable. For the first time, I actually felt like I had a purpose. That I wasn't just someone's entertainment. And I had to say, it felt good.

"Well," the professor said. "Now that's all sorted out, let's get back to business. These items here are very important to a trainer. First off, a bag to keep it all in." She handed us both a simple satchel with multiple pockets. They were emblazoned with a Pokéball right on the main flap.

"Next, five Pokéballs." she handed each of us a small box that had five small Pokéballs in them. I pressed the button on one and it expanded to about five times its size.

"These are very difficult items to come across these days," she said sadly. "While there are hundreds of Pokémon to choose from, you can only have six with you. These five Pokéballs will give you enough for a full team, but don't expect to find more." We both nodded our understanding.

"Finally, we have the Cross-Transceiver or Xtransciever." She handed us the watch-like objects and we put them on our wrists.

"These communicators serve a great purpose to our cause. We will inform you by Xtransciever when there is an attack being prepared and you are needed. They also serve as a map, and they have a third function as, what I'm hard pressed to call, a Pokédex. They more so just identify the Pokémon than give any real information. But now, any questions?"

"Yeah," Logan asked "If we are supposed to be travelling Crucible fighters, we need weapons. They are armed travellers, and we left ours back in the arena."

"That's where I come in." Gray spoke up for a second time. I had some custom weapons made based off your Pokémon and weapon choices."

With that, he pressed a button on the table and compartments slid up from the surface. They were quite large and were labelled by our Crucible names. I went to mine and opened it.

Inside were the most beautiful weapons I'd ever seen. There was a sword, spear and shield, coordinated perfectly to my fighting style. I drew the sword to find that the blade was blood red. The hilt was beautifully crafted to look like a Hydriegon, with the blade coming out of the main head and the other two wrapping around the main head. The guard of the hilt was the wings of the dragon, and the body and tail formed most of the handle.

The spear wasn't quite so elaborate. Simple bronze shaft with a red steel spearhead with little ridges cut into it. The shield was also simple but elegant. Basic round shield with blue flames circling the face of the shield. Crafted from bronze, but coloured red. I was starting to notice a pattern.

What really surprised me was the bow. The bow was steel with a perfect string and had a full quiver of three dozen red arrows. None of us had ever used a bow in combat, but I suppose they were implying it was time to learn.

I looked over at Logan's weapons. He also had a bow, the arrows being a bronze colour instead of red. His sword was also bronze, with a Braviary with its wings outstretched forming the hilt. He also had a basic hand axe, bronze blade with a black grip.

As we were equipping our weapons, Gray started to talk again.

"We recommend the first stop should be Flocessy Ranch. There is a wide array of Pokémon to be found there, and perfect for starting a team."

"Sounds good to me." I replied.

"Same here" Logan chimed in.

"Alright." Gray said. "The last things we want to give you are these cloaks. Weather has gotten harsh in Unova, and we don't want soldiers dying from exposure."

They handed us thick black cloaks that we tied around our necks.

"Now, soldiers of the First File, you are dismissed and have permission to start your journey."

He saluted us by clapping a fist to his heart, and we followed suit.

Then we turned, and walked to the exit of the First File Headquarters.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

As Logan and I walked on to the edge of Aspertia City, I couldn't help but think of what this meant. We finally had the chance to live life like it should have been, without the stress of fighting for our lives. For once, the world looked like a bright place, not the bleak terrain of misery we'd grown up seeing.

Logan snapped me out of my thoughts by clearing his throat. I looked over at him and was looking at his Xtransciever.

"They said Flocessy Ranch, right?" he asked, never looking up.

"Pretty sure, yeah." I replied. "Why?"

He looked up at me. "Do you have any idea how to get there? Or how to work this thing for that matter?"

We stopped walking. "Now that I think about it," I replied looking at my own Xtransciever. "I don't."

"Exactly." he replied with a slightly irritated tone.

He started saying something else, but I tuned him out. I was too busy studying the gadget on my wrist. It looked fairly simple to operate actually. The buttons had small labels, saying things like call, receive, and Pokédex. Within moments I found one that read 'Map'. I pressed it and a large holographic map of the Unova region.

Logan stopped whatever he was saying to look at the large projection coming from the watch. Our location was marked with a red triangle. By the maps telling we weren't far from the main path. Just past the first town, I noticed a small building marked on the map. I touched it and it zoomed in. I saw a picture of fields and sheep Pokémon. The label beside it said 'Flocessy Ranch'. I looked over at Logan and smirked.

"Found it." I said smugly.

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'll admit you did find the Ranch." he said. "I wonder what else this does…" he muttered, looking back at his wrist. He pressed a button and another holographic image popped up, this one showing various different Pokémon.

"Whoa…" he breathed. He started to scroll down the list, when suddenly we heard a small yip.

We whipped around to see a small dog-like Pokémon staring at us. It had long hair all around its face and wasn't much more than a foot tall. It yipped again, a small high pitched noise. I had to admit, it was pretty cute.

Logan pointed the Pokédex at the dog, and it started to speak.

"Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon. Normal-type, weak to Fighting-types and takes no damage from Ghost-types."

I was thoroughly impressed by the device. The information it had given was very precise, and was definably useful. I was observing the device so thoroughly that I didn't even notice Logan grabbing his Pokéball.

"Rufflett, Wing Attack!" he called as he threw the ball. In a burst of white light, the small bird Pokémon emerged from the ball and straight into action. Its small wings glowed white as he struck the Lillipup with them. It didn't seem like the attack did much, but I could tell Logan was holding back. We were used to going right for the kill, after all.

Logan looked over at me and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Victor, but this one's mine."

I waved my hand dismissively to give him the go-ahead. He turned back to the fight just in time to watch Rufflett get hit with a vicious Tackle. This pup wasn't playing around, and did it ever show. Almost immediately after, Lillipup grabbed onto Rufflett's wing with Bite. I've never seen Logan go from confidant to so confused so quickly.

"Rufflett, shake him off with Gust!" he called out in a panic. The small bird started flapping his wings with vicious power, sending up a small twister of dirt and leaves. After about 30 seconds of this, Lillipup flew off and smashed into a nearby tree. The small dog was knocked out cold from the blow.

Logan took this chance. He reached into his bag and pulled out a Pokéball. He threw it and it hit the Lillipup spot on. It opened, and released a beam of red light that pulled the Pokémon inside. The ball closed again, and started to shake. It shook a total of three times and then clicked, letting off a small shower of sparks. The ball disappeared and then reappeared on Logan's belt. He grabbed it from his belt and stared at it, and then he let out a holler.

"I caught my first Pokémon!" he shouted happily. I was half grinning-half smirking at how happy he was. During the fight, I did a little more research on Lillipup. Turns out, it was an incredibly common Pokémon that most trainers use. I would have told him, but it would have burst his bubble. Plus, I didn't want him to feel bad because of the difficulty he was having fighting the small Pokémon.

Nevertheless, he looked happy enough. Until he caught me smirking. Then his smile faded away and he looked kind of angry.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. It didn't help that I chuckled a bit when he was looking at me.

"Oh nothing," I replied, still chuckling a bit. "Congratulations."

That really seemed to set him off. "You're just pissed that I caught the Lillipup instead of you!"

This time I full out laughed. "No way dude," I replied. "Especially since I could still beat your ass without any extra help."

Now he was _furious_. "Is that a challenge?" he asked angrily.

"Know what? It is." I replied, reaching for my Pokéball. "Your two versus Zweilous. We'll see who still the Alpha Trainer around here is."

"Bring it on!" he scoffed. "Rufflett, come into battle!" The small bird flew over from his nearby perch and landed on the ground in between us.

"Zweilous, kick ass!" I shouted as I threw my Pokéball. With the usual flash of light, the two headed Dragon-type appeared in the middle of the field facing Rufflett.

"Rufflett, use Gust!" Logan commanded.

"Intercept with Dragon Rage, then hit him with Body Slam!"

Rufflett beat its wings furiously, sending a small twister at Zweilous. But as it neared, the Dragon-type opened both of his mouths and fired blue flames through the twister, dissipating the wind. Immediately after, Zweilous charged forward and slammed into Rufflett with all his might.

"Rufflett, get out of range!" Logan cried out desperately. Rufflett was still weak from the fight with Lillipup, and didn't look like he would last much longer.

"Zweilous grab him with Crunch and keep biting!"

Zweilous grabbed on with one of his heads in a vicious bite and then started alternating Crunches between both heads. In a matter of seconds, Rufflett was on the ground unconscious.

"Erg… You got lucky!" Logan growled as he summoned Rufflett back.

"Yeah," I replied. "The fact that you never landed a single hit really showed you were in control. Just send out Lillipup."

"Come on Lillipup, we need this!" Logan muttered as he threw the Pokéball. The Puppy Pokémon appeared, looking dazed and weak from its earlier battle.

"This'll be too simple…" I muttered sadly. "Zweilous, use Dragon Rage!"

"Lillipup, fight back with Tackle!"

Lillipup moved sluggishly, with nowhere near its full power in that attack. In the few seconds it took the small dog to come closer to Zweilous, the much larger Dragon-type had charged up and shot blue flames from both his mouths. When they struck Lillipup, the power behind them was enough to cause a small explosion and crater the ground a bit. When the smoke cleared, Lillipup was knocked out.

"Lillipup, return!" Logan called as the beam of red light called Lillipup back into its ball.

"Zweilous, you as well." The dragon was pulled back by the red light and I set the Pokéball onto my belt. "Well fought," I told my sole Pokémon.

I looked at Logan, who was utterly disappointed. "Next time, make sure to heal your Pokémon before you battle," I told him. He nodded sadly.

"Come on. I'll hold back any wild Pokémon until we get the Flocessy town."

And on we walked, down the path once again.

**Well! This has got to be my favourite chapter so far! Let me know what you think in the reviews. DT98 out!**


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Logan and I stopped in Flocessy Town very briefly, only long enough to heal our Pokémon. We then immediately left town to continue our way to Flocessy Ranch.

Logan was rather silent for the most part. I could tell he was still a little steamed from losing our battle earlier. His anger was understandable. Losing the first real battle we've ever had, when his team outnumbered mine two-to-one. I figured it was best to let him wallow then try to console him.

We walked for a little bit longer until we say a sign. Written on it was 'Flocessy Ranch: Left. Virbank City: Straight Ahead'. I looked over at Logan.

"What do you think? Should we stop at the ranch or see what Virbank has to offer?" I asked.

He shrugged. "We planned to stop at the ranch. I say we go there first."

I nodded. "Alright. Come on."

We turned left and started down the trail.

After about ten minutes, we reached a large wooden arch. On the other side was a small group of buildings, large amounts of grassland, and was all surrounded by a wooden fence. Sheep-like Pokémon dotted the grass all over.

I looked over at Logan. For the first time since our battle, he was smiling.

"We'll split up," I said. "One Pokémon each from the ranch. Then we have to leave, alright?"

He nodded, then immediately walked off to the grassland. I decided to leave him be, and I started off in the other direction.

I walked for quite a bit, mostly in circles, scanning every Pokémon

I saw. I noticed a couple of interesting ones, like Mareep, the sheep Pokémon we saw on our way in, but nothing I saw was interesting to catch. Until I something small caught my eye.

It was very small, maybe only about two feet tall, and blue. It looked like a cross between a human child and a wolf. I pulled up the Pokédex and scanned it.

"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Fighting-type, weak to Flying and Psychic-types, resistant to Bug, Rock and Dark-types."

I checked the rarity scale of Riolu. It's only found in Flocessy Ranch, and even in that area it's quite rare.

I chuckled a bit to myself. This was the Pokémon I was going for. I grabbed Zweilous' Pokéball and threw it.

"Zweilous, use Dragon Pulse!"

The ball opened in a burst of white light and the two-headed Dragon-type hit the ground and blasted blue energy from both of its mouths.

Riolu was alert immediately. It jumped out of the way of the first blast, but was hit square by the second one. When the blast struck it, it was knocked back a dozen feet into a tree and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"This seems like a decent time to catch it." I muttered. I reached into my cloak and pulled out a Pokéball. I pressed the button in the middle and it expanded. I tossed the Pokéball at the unconscious Riolu. The ball hit the Pokémon and it opened, releasing a red light that enveloped Riolu and pulled it into the ball. The ball hit the ground and started to shake. It shook three times, and then clicked. I walked over and picked up the ball. I minimized the ball and put it into a pocket inside my cloak.

"Zweilous, return." I said, pointing the ball at Zweilous. The red light pulled Zweilous back into its Pokéball and I placed it in the same pocket as Riolu's.

"I see you made your capture." I heard Logan's voice from behind me.

"Yeah," I replied, turning around. "Have you made you-" I stopped midsentence.

Logan was standing with his hands in the air. He was didn't have his cloak on and he was completely unarmed. I also couldn't see his Pokéballs anywhere.

A man walked out from behind him pointing a shotgun at Logan. He was huge, about 6'7 and covered with muscles. He was wearing a black muscle shirt, camouflage cargo pants and combat boots. His black hair was shaved into a buzz-cut and he had a massive hunting knife strapped to his hip.

"Oh he made a capture alright," he said in a deep gravelly voice. "Captured one of our Mareeps. We don't allow people to capture Pokémon from our ranch as it is, but one of our herd? We're going to kill you for that."

"If you don't mind me asking," I piped up, "what makes you think we can't stop you and who exactly do you mean by 'we'?"

"I think both questions can be answered at once. Jim! You got that one!?" the man called out.

"Roger that Tim!" another voice called back. It was similar to that of the first man.

"You could be bluffing." I suggested.

A single shot rang out through the air and the ground at my feet blasted into a small crater as a bullet struck the earth.

"Okay, so you're not bluffing." I muttered.

The man with the shotgun kept it pointed at Logan and cocked it.

"Prepare to die you thieving bastards." he said, his voice full of anger.

That's when the war horns sounded.

**Ooh, shit's getting good! Sorry for not updating in a while, but I'm going to focus on this story for a while. DT98 out! **


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

The man with the shotgun paused when he heard the war horns.

"Hey Jim, what's going on?!"

"Plasma Elites!" the other man shouted back. "And lots of them! Heavily armed!"

"Shit," he muttered. "They've come for the ranch."

He turned to us. "Listen up you two," he snapped. "This ranch is all me and my brother have. If you can help us defend it, then you can keep the Pokémon you caught here. Sound good?"

"They're almost here!" Jim shouted.

"Sounds good," I replied. "Where's Logans weapons?"

"They're hidden in a bush, a few yards back. Hurry!"

"Alright, Logan, you get your stuff. I'm going to prepare." I ordered. He nodded and ran off.

I slung my shield off my back and took off my cloak, revealing my blood red armour. I drew my spear and stuck it in the ground, the head pointing up. I reached into my cloak and grabbed my Pokéballs.

"Zweilous, Riolu, battle stations!" I shouted as I tossed them into the air. Both Pokéballs burst into white light and the two Pokémon took form, ready for a fight.

"They're on the ranch! Draw arms!" Jim called down. I heard his gun cock as he started firing. I couldn't see them yet, but I could hear Plasma soldiers falling.

I drew my sword and hoisted my shield into a defensive position just as Logan came to stand beside me brandishing his axe and sword, with his bow strapped to his back. His Pokémon went up to join mine. Rufflett was flying in circles overhead while Lillipup was bearing its teeth and the newly caught Mareep had sparks coming off its fleece.

"Are you ready to fight brother?" I asked him.

He nodded his answer.

We spotted the Plasma Elites almost immediately after. There were a lot, but not nearly the numbers we were used to. It was a small invasion force, only about three dozen soldiers, all wielding swords, axes and spears. Plasma soldiers generally kept their Pokémon out with them and we noticed a lot of Lillipups, the occasional Patrat and some Pidoves. Brandishing our weapons, we charged the front line.

But then we stopped.

Halfway down the field, we saw a new type of Plasma troop. Something I've never seen before. The troops were on mounts and were equipped with massive lances and medium armour. The mounts themselves were black and white equestrians with lightning bolt patterns and horns on their heads. I took a moment to pull up the Pokédex and scanned the mounts.

"Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokémon. Evolved form of Blitzle. Electric-type, weak against Ground-types, resistant to Electric, Flying and Steel-types."

I sheathed my sword and pulled my bow off my back. I grabbed one of the arrows out of my quiver and placed it in the bow. I pulled back the string, took careful aim and released. The arrow flew through the air straight at the head of a mounted soldier. It looked like it would be a straight kill, but then the Zebstrika's horns began to spark. Electricity charged through its two horns and a bolt of lightning shot out and struck the arrow. The arrow immediately shot backwards with huge force. I had just enough time to raise my shield before it struck. When it did, it clung to the metal face the shield. I tried to pry it off, but it just stuck there.

"Son of a bitch…" I muttered. "They magnetized the arrow."

I placed my bow back on my back and drew my sword. I signalled Logan and we continued the charge. Within moments, we had reached the front line of Plasma soldiers. That is when the real battle began.

Blades clashed and soldiers fell. Logan and I were relentless in our attack, taking advantage of every opening, every weak spot. Throats were slashed and limbs hacked apart. The field soon became a bloody mess as soldiers were quickly dispatched.

I stabbed at a soldier and my blade became lodged in his chest. He fell back and my sword was jerked from my hand. I was without a weapon, my spear being stuck in the ground from where we started the charge.

"Rufflett!" I cried out. "I need my spear!"

In the centre of a group of soldiers, a bright light shone out. When it faded, a huge bird Pokémon burst out, soaring just overhead. It flew back to where my spear was and snatched it up. The bird flew back with incredible speed gripping the spear in its talons. It dropped it right over my head and as I grabbed it I noticed the Pokémon fly right back into the thick of battle.

I smashed a Plasma soldier with the edge of my shield as I attempted to get my footing to wield the spear. At most I hoped to knock him back, but what I was not expecting was for the shield to slash through his armour and deal a killing wound. I quickly inspected the blood soaked edge of my shield to discover there was a blade circling the entire edge. I swung it at another soldier and cut off his arm, then swung back to leave a gaping wound in his chest.

I tore through soldiers, impaling them with my spear and dismembering them with my shield. In a matter of minutes, there was not a single person left, aside from Logan, Tim and myself.

Then the cavalry charged.

I noticed the mounted soldiers had held back until the battlefield was more open, and now they had an open field to storm. Bolts of lightning sparked from the Zebstrika mounts, flying in every direction. The lead rider was moving at an incredible speed right towards me. When he was about sixty yards away, he lowered his lance. The metal tip looked like it would tear right through whatever defence I could muster, but I raised my shield anyway.

But then something else unexpected happened.

A massive green and red Pokémon flew out of nowhere. It grabbed the rider and flew off with him, dropping him to his death about twenty feet away. The Zebstrika continued running towards me though, until a freezing beam of ice came from behind me. The charging Pokémon was encased completely in a block of ice and more beams of ice shot from behind me, freezing mounts and riders all over the field. The green and red Pokémon also flew down, grabbing riders and dropping them. Within minutes, the entire cavalry was either a block of ice or a grease spot on the grass.

I looked behind me to find the biggest Pokémon I'd ever seen staring at me with Tim standing right next to it. Its body was white and its arms and legs were green. It looked kind of like a frozen tree.

I planted my spear in the ground and pulled up my Pokédex to scan the massive creature.

"Abomasnow, the Frost Tree Pokémon. Evolved form of Snover. Grass and Ice-type, weak against Fire, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Bug, Rock, and Steel-types. Resistant to Water, Electric, Grass and Ground-types."

The instant the Pokédex started reading off Abomasnow's information, the green and red Pokémon flew down and landed beside Tim with another man on its back. The man looked exactly like Tim, the only difference was that the man was wearing a white muscle shirt instead of a black one.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced," Tim spoke up. "My name is Tim Jenkins. This is my twin brother Jim." He gestured at his brother, who gave a small wave. I took this moment to scan the Pokémon he was with.

"Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon. Evolved form of Vibrava, final evolution of Trapinch. Ground and Dragon-type, weak against Ice and Dragon-types, resistant to Fire, Poison and Rock-types. Takes no damage from Electric-types."

"Those are some pretty impressive Pokémon you have there." I told them.

"Thanks," Tim replied. "We've trained them long and hard. Good to see that's paid off. We can't thank you enough for helping us protect our ranch."

"Well with the offer you made, it was the least we could do." I replied.

Logan walked up beside me, weapons sheathed and carrying my sword.

"Where've you been?" I asked him.

"I was checking on the Pokémon," he replied and held out my sword. "And I went to find this."

I took it from him and sheathed it. "Thanks," I told him. "How are the Pokémon doing?"

"The Plasmas Pokémon will need to find new homes," he replied. "And our Pokémon are doing fine."

The large bird Pokémon from earlier flew down and landed beside Logan. I pulled up the Pokédex to see what it was.

"Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon. Evolved form of Rufflet. Normal and Flying-type, weak to Electric, Ice and Rock-types, resistant to Grass and Bug-types. Takes no damage from Ground and Ghost-types."

"Hey, your Rufflet evolved!" I exclaimed. "That's great!"

Logan was beaming. "Yeah it is. I'm pretty happy."

"Well boys," Tim interjected. "Thanks for your help and all, but you should probably be leaving soon. We can't have visitors for too long, people will start to think we want them here."

"Yeah you're probably right," I replied. "Thank you for the Pokémon we caught here, we'll just grab our stuff and leave."

Tim and Jim nodded at the same time.

I walked over to where I left my cloak and grabbed the Pokéballs out of it.

"Zweilous, Riolu! Return"

Beams of red light shot out and struck the two Pokémon, pulling them back into the balls. I strapped my spear back onto my back and put on my cloak. I placed the Pokéballs back in their pocket and slung my shield back onto my back. Ready to get back on the road, I walked back to Logan who was also ready.

Just as we were leaving, we saw the twin ranchers waving us farewell. We clapped our fists to our chests in salute, and then walked back out the gate.

**I will honestly apologise about this chapter. I think it kinda sucks. It was a great chapter in my head, but on paper it kinda blows. But whatever! I hope you enjoy it! DT98 out! **


End file.
